Metis was the first wife of Zeus and was said to be wiser than gods and mortals. Earth and Heaven warned Zeus that she was destined to bear remarkable children: first Athena, who would equal her father in strength and wisdom, and later a son who would become king of gods and men. To prevent that future ruler from taking his place, Zeus deceived Metis with cunning words and swallowed her while she was carrying Athena.

Swallowing Metis did not prevent Athena’s arrival. Later, Athena emerged from Zeus’s head. Metis remained within him, devising both good and evil for Zeus.

✦ Even the wise can be deceived when the picture they are asked to judge has already been distorted.

After Tmolus judged Apollo’s lyre superior to Pan’s pipes, Midas alone rejected the verdict. Apollo answered by stretching the king’s ears into those of a donkey. Midas hid them beneath a purple turban, but the servant who cut his hair discovered the punishment. Unable to speak openly, the servant dug a shallow hole, whispered what he knew into the earth, and covered it again.

About a year later, reeds grew from the spot. When the south wind stirred them, they repeated the buried words and revealed the secret Midas had tried to hide.

✦ Trying to bury a secret may not erase it. It may only give it another way to speak.